Eddee Johansen started his restaurant, Yoshi’s, in 2001 discovering that there was a great niche in fast casual rice bowls and sushi. “I didn’t want to eat any more burgers.” He has grown a great deal since he started, opening a second location and two food trucks.
Fred Moesinger partnered with Caffe Molise’s owner in downtown Salt Lake City also in 2001 and worked to develop the menu into some of the best Italian food in Utah. He eventually bought out the original owner and slowly built a larger space. He opened a wine bar in 2016 and expanded to a huge new location in downtown Salt Lake in a historic building. The restaurant now occupies three levels including a banquet space and a massive outdoor patio and deck in 2019.
What both restaurant entrepreneurs have in common is the big expansions that they made in 2019. Things were going well for both Fred and Eddee right up until Covid-19 hit them and they were forced to close for two months.
Both had to rely on government funding to reopen their doors. Both were on the Hidden Utah podcast with Richard Markosian discussing all of the details of how much they relied on government funding, how they plan to keep their doors open, and how they are doing since the health department guidelines have been put into place. If you love eating out, if you love local food and appreciate how much great local restaurants add to our communities you will want to listen or watch this podcast.
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